A speed limiter which monitors the travel speed of an elevator car is known from DE 36 15 270 A1. In operation, the speed limiter works as follows: An elevator car drives a cable pulley of the speed limiter in known manner by way of a wire cable, wherein a blocking ring and a cam wheel are integrated in the cable pulley. A pendulum roller follows a track of the cam wheel. A restraining spring is set so that the pendulum roller follows the cam of the cam wheel up to the elevator rated speed. The pendulum lever is set into pendulating motions with alternating direction by the cam via the pendulum roller. If the elevator speed exceeds a specific trigger value preset by the restraining spring then the pendulum roller lifts off the cam wheel. The moment of inertia of the pendulum lever is greater than the restraining moment of the restraining spring. The pendulum lug remains in the path of the blocking ring, which leads to blocking of the cable pulley. The force for engagement of the safety device is built up by the friction in a cable groove of the cable pulley.
The speed limiter known from DE 36 15 270 A1 has the disadvantage that checking of functional capability is complicated.
A device for limiting downward travel of an elevator is known from DE 35 04 264 A1. In that regard, it can be assumed that elevators are subject to inspection and regular checks which are usually carried out by a technical monitoring organization. In that case it is known to perform safety braking tests below a normal trigger speed. In principle, in the case of a safety brake test the blocking dog can be engaged by manual pressure at the location of the speed limiter. Since, however, moved parts are involved there is then a risk of injury. Moreover, an increased expenditure of time and disturbing contaminations arise. Through a safety brake, in which by pressing a button a rod is electromagnetically moved by way of remote triggering, the blocking dog can engage in the blocking wheel via a deflecting lever in the known speed limiter. It is possible through such an attachment unit, even in the case of an arrangement of the speed limiter with poor accessibility, to engage the cam of the pendulum in the intermediate space of the blocking wheel by remote triggering from desired vantage point and thus initiate the safety braking procedure for safety braking of the elevator.
A device for remote triggering of a speed limiter, by means of which the speed limiter can also be reset back into its operational setting, is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,483. In that case, an actuating device is selectably activated in an actuation direction or actuated in a reset direction.